McKenna believes his history with Adames tells him something different.
“I think he’d be afraid to fight me because he knows exactly what I’m like. And that was when I was 19. Now I’m 27, fully developed middleweight,” McKenna told The Ring.
The problem with that argument is that sparring from eight years ago isn’t much evidence of what happens in a championship fight today.
McKenna is essentially an untested belt-holder. Oliha brought a 22-0 record into Dublin, but he wasn’t an established elite middleweight. Before that, the most recognizable opponent on McKenna’s record was Liam Smith, who was well past his best and returning from a lengthy absence after his 2023 knockout loss to Chris Eubank Jr.
McKenna also isn’t a major puncher. His 10 knockouts in 21 victories don’t give Adames much reason to view him as the division’s new boogeyman.
There are practical reasons for Adames to look elsewhere. A fight with WBO champion Denzel Bentley offers a unification against a more established opponent. Moving to 168 pounds to face IBF champion Osleys Iglesias gives him a bigger potential reward.
Beating Iglesias would put Adames into the super middleweight mix, where lucrative fights involving Canelo Alvarez, Hamzah Sheeraz or Eubank become possibilities.
McKenna wants to unify quickly and is willing to face any champion. That desire makes sense for a fighter who has just won his first world title.
But McKenna needs the Adames fight far more than Adames needs him. Winning the IBF belt has put McKenna in position to establish himself among the best middleweights. Beating Oliha alone hasn’t done that.
